January has been incredibly busy and our small team do not want to wish time away but we are all longing for the spring – as are the horses. We have all had enough of the mud!

The good news however is Sapphire and Poppet and Pudding have gone out to wonderful foster homes until the Spring and our gorgeous miniature horse Patchwork has gone out to start her new life in a  wonderful loan home where she is being ridden and loving it.

Patchwork


Pudding


Poppet

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Sapphire

We have also taken in some new rescues. One very sad case that we cannot talk about  to protect him but the pony is here and safe now.
Another of our new rescues is Robbie.  This tiny tot of a pony stands at 28 inches high and was rescued before Christmas having been found by the side of a road in a very bad way.  As you can see this beautiful pony is well on his way to a full recovery.

A HUGE thank you to John and Barbara who are  friends of Wendy Kurrels for their very, kind and generous donation of £500.00

Big Thank you to Elaine and June for donating rugs and for Monica for delivering them!

Everyone at Lluest would like to wish all our friends, supporters, volunteers and loan homes a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR.

Our thoughts are with the animals not fortunate enough this Christmas to be loved and cared for by people like you!

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the Trust and helped us get through a challenging year and making it so successful!

We could not do it without you!!!!

Back  - L to R Alistair and Jerome
Barbara, Emma, Helen and Ken

Last Thursday 22nd Lluest was the recipient of an AMAZING act of generosity, kindness and friendship.

Barbara Bell one of our incredible supporters arranged with Claytons Animal feeds in Ammanford a Christmas delivery of 60 bags of feed for the Trust Horses and Ponies.

Over and above Claytons own donation to the Trust, Phil Powell Clayton’s manager, Heather Parker and Tanya Martin created a ‘donate a ba...g of feed appeal’ and their customers very generously took part.

Last week volunteers and the staff of Claytons kindly loaded up Barbara Bell’s lorry and today Barbara, Ken and Helen arrived with enough feed to get the 35 horses and ponies on the farm through to the spring! Jerome, myself Alistair and Owen were on hand to help un load into the porta cabin because there was too much to fit in to our feed room! As we tucked in to hot drinks and mince pies we all looked on at the actual size of the donation. It was HUGE. I didn’t cry, but boy it was close.

Then just like a cherry on the cake our lovely vet Lisa Durham from Dyffryn Tywi Equine Clinic arrived and donated an equine first aid kit and money raised from a raffle they held at one of their client evenings.

I have been at Lluest a year and a half and during that time I have seen the very worst in people and the very best. Today I felt humbled and proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with some incredible people all pulling together for one reason – to help horses and ponies who through no fault of their own have ended up in a rescue charity.

There is a quote by Margaret Mead that just sums up today
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Everyone involved in this donation will feed every single Lluest horse and pony for the whole winter – how absolutely AMAZING you all are!!!!! Bless you and thank you all!!!

Would like to say BIG BIG thank you to Lucy Wright who arrived with her mother and donated a car FULL of rugs! Sorry you arrived at the same time as the haylege delivery and we didn't have time for a chat - but THANK YOU :0)

Lluest owes another huge thank you to Andy Travers from Montagne Jeunesse who has donated £1,000.00! We look forward to Mr Travers coming to visit the farm in the New Year so we can thank him. In the meantime have a look at their lovely web site full of gorgeous products http://www.montagnejeunesse.com

We all want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Coleg Elidyr for donating 50 - yes 50!!! big bales of haylage to us!!! Huge thanks also to Dai Williams our fantastic neighbour who is so kindly picking them up and transporting them for us - which is no small task!!! Words are totally in adequate when it comes to thanks. This past year has been full of amazing people doing so many incredible and generous things for the animals here. Quietly and never asking for thanks or recognition - in some cases making me promise not to say what they have done, we are blessed to have such very very special people around us who care.

Our Christmas Fayre held at the farm on the 26th November which was organized and run by volunteer Sarah Gray raised an incredible £5,003.15!!!!!!

Sarah Gray’s achievements and focus to turn  her vision for the Christmas Fayre into a reality was made possible by an amazing amount of people whose  generosity, kindness and support knew no bounds. On behalf of the horses and ponies who through no fault of their own have found themselves in a rescue charity totally dependent on people who care, a MASSIVE thank you goes to the people who helped Sarah make it all possiable:


Jamie Card and Andy Gray who spent  days constructing the marquees, clearing up afterward, providing all the equipment,  and for running the BBQ.

Sheena Petrie, Sonya Hawthorne, Sarah Shakleton Jones for organizing, producing and distributing posters, collecting, sorting and wrapping hundreds of donations and prizes, cleaning and preparing the portacabins, helping on the day and clearing the aftermath.

Emyr Williams Lluest’s very kind neighbour for letting us use his field as a car park and for lending us his generator.

Ivor Thomas Plant Hire for clearing the yard of mud with his digger, and to Colt who laid 15 tonnes of woodchip, both organised by Jamie.

All the staff at Claytons Animal Feeds in Ammanford for their unbelievable and continued support, and for their many, many generous donations.

Emma Edwards & Llandovery College choir and musicians for an afternoon of entertainment. Gillie Rowland and Rhian Mai Hubbard for also singing and playing so beautifully.

Andrew Edwards who was a superb Santa, Delyth Orourke, Carwyn George and Bethan Matthews who were excellent elves.

Anthony Frost,  of  Welsh Cottage Cakes and Pencader Bakery for kindly donating all the cakes on the refreshment stall.

Everyone who helped and  ran a stall:  Jamie Card, Andy Gray, Sonya Hawthorne, Sheena Petrie, Sarah Shakleton Jones, Sue Thoma, Sandy Leggiter, Carole Gray, Hilda Ditchburn Pauline George, Kayla Orourke, Kath Hawkins, Marj Hawkins, Monica Ward,  Jaquie Brown, Non  Davies, Pauline  Howkins, Bethan Mathews and Tanya  Martin from Claytons for running a worming & health stand

To the wonderful team  who did a sterling job in the car park: Chris Masters, James Masters, Phil Thomas, Jeff Leggit and Frank Ward.

To Helen Hughes and Heather Parker, for donating prizes, selling raffle tickets helping with preparations and much much more! 


Nina Salt for also selling tickets.

Lluest’s Gloucestershire Support Group for donating  box’s and box’s of wonderful gifts and toys to sell.

Owen Davies for making Lluest clocks to sell and taking photographs. Amy Quant for organizing the press releases and publicity, and for making jam & knitted goodies

Llansawel Shooting Club for lending us their marquee and cooking equipment.

Andrew Thomas at Roy Thomas Farm Supplies for donating horse and dog treats.

To everyone who provided auction prizes and Raffle Prizes:
Sharon Evans
Huw Rees Bridal, Llandeilo
Samantha Taylor – Forest Edge B&B
Brian Bumbarton – APSM
Toast, Llandeilo
Claytons Animal feeds, Ammanford
LJ Bailey & Sons Butchers, Llangadog
The Old Cross, Ammanford
Creations Hair Salon, Betws
Julie Swoboda
Karen Manuel
BHS Cabo Carmarthenshire
Sutherland Leather
Megan Rogers who donated 2 auction lots
Laura Robinson The Georges, Haverfordwest
and Amanda Gordon

Small charities depend on people being selfless. Lluest is no exception. Words in this instance seem a very inadequate way to express sincere and heartfelt thanks. 

Here are some photos from the day. We cannot show too many because of protecting the children who appear in the majority of them.

Andy and Jamie man the very popular  BBQ


Father Christmas in his grotto


Tilly and Sixpence gave the reindeer a break and helped Father Christmas in the grotto.



Volunteer Jackie mans the tack stall

Llewelyn shows everyone how handsome he is


Patchwork smiles for the camera


The refreshments stall run by Kath, Marj and Monica was out of this world



and the children's festive welly competition was great fun for everyone


All photos by kind permission of Owen Davies

Everyone at Lluest would like to say a HUGE heart felt thanks to Mr & Mrs Dee who so very kindly came yesterday and donated bags of feed, bowls a trailer to make it so much easier for us to pick up feed and hay people offer to donate and even a strimmer! If this was not enough they also handed me a cheque for Lluest £500.00!! Lluest is truly blessed to have such incredibly kind, generous and truly amazing supporters. THANK YOU, THANK YOU from all the horses and ponies xx

THANK YOU to Monica Ward for going to 2 events for Lluest this weekend and running a tombola, raising £106.00!

Monica has raised over £1,500 for us this year - and we are HUGELY grateful for Monica's constant support over the years.

Also HUGE thanks to her husband Frank Ward who is here again today helping us with the endless DIY jobs on the farm - for example Frank built all our mangers from donated material. Lluest is very lucky to have such wonderful volunteers!

BIG BIG THANK YOU to Selina Puckett for braving Swansea Train station on the 3rd Dec (an international rugby day) and fund-raising for Lluest! Selina raised £160 which is terrific!

Not only that but Selina is very kindly doing a 25 mile sponsored walk for us next year and has raised £377.00 already! Please visit Selina's fund raising page for more information. http://www.everyclick.com/selinapuckett

We are SO very lucky to have such wonderful people out and about all the time doing all kinds of fund raising activities to support Lluest.